1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to machines for cleaning fowl, and more specifically to a scouring and washing wand apparatus that moves within the abdominal cavity and crop cavity of a bird to remove residual viscera, fecal matter and bacteria, thereby cleaning the inside of the cavities.
2. Description of Related Art
In the process of slaughter during poultry processing, contaminants are found about the carcass that are a source of bacteria that can lead to sickness if their level is not reduced. Rigid inspection standards cause the rejection or reprocessing of such carcasses when a level of contaminants occurs that is above the standards. Unfortunately, the process of readying the fowl for cleaning often does not adequately clean the cavities within the fowl and results in remaining sources of contamination.
Various devices exist for the removal of viscera from fowl. Typically, once the fowl have been killed and the head removed, a device having a cutting tip is inserted through the vent into the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities. Such device may or may not reach the crop cavity. The device cuts away the visceral material to leave behind the desired bird carcass. Unfortunately, residual viscera and associated bacteria may remain behind in the fowl's cavities, resulting in the potential for harmful later contamination and/or causation of illness in those who consume portions of the fowl.
Previous attempts to remove the residual viscera and to cleanse the fowl have often resulted in the use of nozzles with pressure sprays that are inserted through the vent of the bird and which subsequently spray water or other cleaning fluids against the cavity walls. One such device extends a crop-removing tool through the ventral cavity into the crop to remove same.
In the poultry processing machine industry, there has typically been one mode of cleaning the internal cavities of poultry. This has been by means of washing modules which have a hollow shaft through which cleaning fluid is dispersed into the poultry cavities. Such previous washing modules are typically moved in and out of the poultry cavities by means of a cam follower which rides around a camming rail that guides movement vertically or horizontally. Unfortunately, such previous devices are disadvantageous since poultry cavities have varying surfaces, occlusions and pockets that make cleaning by spraying out of the cavity with just a spray difficult and inefficient, thereby usually requiring at least two washing devices with their consequent large consumption of cleaning fluid.
Additionally, such cleaning processes have been automated by transport of the fowl to a cleaning station which is typically comprised of a feed track carrying the fowl carcasses in vent up/neck down disposition, wherein the fowl is transported to an insertion point where a cleansing tool is inserted through the vent and extends downward into the crop area to spray the fowl clean. However, while such devices provide a measure of cleaning, their inability to vigorously scour the interior of the cavities results in residual material adhering to the wall surfaces and/or being contained with in occluded pockets that the sprays cannot reach.
One previous device has similar components to the previously-mentioned machine except that a portion of the exit nozzle of the washing module is rotated by the pressure of the cleaning fluid spray exiting the device, in order to distribute cleaning fluid throughout the cavities. Unfortunately, this machine requires a high consumption of cleaning fluid (which is a major cost in poultry processing) to provide adequate spinning force to the exit nozzle to adequately clean, or alternately, requires a plurality of cleaning machines.
Still another previous device has similar components to the previous mentioned machine except it is used for removing the crop of poultry and the hollow shaft of the module into which cleaning fluid is injected is rotated. As with other previous devices, this machine suffers from a high consumption of cleaning fluid to sufficiently clean the fowl, or alternately, requires a plurality of machines.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for an apparatus for removal of residual viscera and bacteria from fowl, wherein the apparatus cleans and scours the interior cavities of the fowl to cleanse the fowl of bacteria.